UK Committee Approves Report on Draft National Policy Statement for Geological Disposal

摘要

Plans for siting and constructing a geological disposal facilityrnfor spent nuclear fuel and high-level waste (HLW) advancedrnin the United Kingdom when on July 31, a parliamentaryrncommittee approved the draft National Policy Statementrn(NPS) for geological disposal infrastructure (GDI) thatrnwas presented to Parliament on January 25, 2018. The Business,rnEnergy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) Committee wasrndesignated under the UK’s Planning Act 2008 to carry out arndetailed consultation and approval process for the proposedrndisposal facility on behalf of Parliament. The BEIS Committeernreport on its examination of the draft NPS was authorizedrnby the House of Commons.rnThe focus of the BEIS inquiry was on the content andrnscope of the NPS, not on the merits of geological disposal asrna means of disposing of higher activity waste. After the consultationrnphase is completed in late 2019, the UK governmentrnexpects the site selection phase to last 15 to 20 years.rnThe GDI, if it is ever approved, will then be in operation forrnup to 150 years during which the facility would be constructedrnand the spent fuel and HLW emplaced deep underground.